Yasha Yokujou
by Ice Blue Blossom
Summary: Seventeen years old, Sasuke's return brings as much happiness as there is complication. Their lives are finally starting to unfold and Naruto finds himself loving Sakura to an extent in which he himself didn't know of... But would he be allowed to?
1. In his Point of Veiw 'Prolouge'

**Prologue**

_'Naruto... Thank you, thank you for keeping my promise. I don't know what I'd do if Sasuke didn't return to us... You've done a lot for me...' _The words echoed through his head, that sweet feminine voice that had rung so merrily on that day. Accompanied by a beautiful smile, a smile he'd longed to see for awhile now... He had kept his promise, he had made Sakura-chan happy. He had returned the one she loved most to her. The moonlight entered the room and his blue eyes stared ahead unfocused to his dresser. A small pain went through his chest, his hand that was underneath the pillow fisted at the blanket. He tried to think of that smile again, the one that made the pain go away. She was happy! He should be glad... Sakura would be heartbroken if Sasuke did not return.

He never wanted Sakura to feel like that, experience this pain that was running through him right now. He knew with pain very well, he had grown up with it. Like quick, yet small stabs to the heart. They just kept on adding up with her rejections, more jabs here and more pain there. But he had always had hope, it was his steel shield against the heartache and doubt. Somewhere he had hoped, that along with his future of becoming hokage would stand a Sakura, smiling and with him and only him. He wanted to be the one to hold her, protect her, lover her. He had once, thought of a family. Having his own family, that was something that rarely entered his mind, but it did. He wanted a family with her.

"Sakura..." That hope was split. Sakura belonged to Sasuke now, as it should be. Not with him, but with the male he called brother. He was jealous, yes. He always would be, but he was also happy for them. They deserved it, they deserved their happiness. Naruto had being Hokage to look forward too. It wasn't such a far off dream now. It would take awhile... It wasn't without more hard work either. It's just that his future and dreams were working their way into a reality. It was like Sasuke's retrieval was a milestone he had passed in his life, moving closer and closer to get to the next.

So what was troubling Naruto so much? The summer night's heat made it's way to his room, an image continued to torment him. Her face, her voice... As a seventeen year old boy, he can honestly say that was as far as he'd gone before. The image of her would bring a small light into his heart, unexplainable for why it was there but it was. But now, now when she was gone with Sasuke, unofficially claimed by someone else, did he start to picture her more. Want her more.

He closed his eyes, curling up on his bed and resting. Now he saw more clearly, how creamy her pale skin looked. Her rosy cheeks in a small blush. She couldn't be blushing for him... Was she? She looked so cute anyhow. He remembered the way she had leaned in and placed her lips to his cheek in a small peck while thanking him that day. Her lips were so soft and moist, her skin that had just brushed faintly against his was milky-soft and warm. 'Thank you Naruto... You gave me hope when I had lost it. You are most definitely one of my important people!'

He smiled to himself as he recalled that. He was an important person to her... Naruto sighed blissfully. Those cherry lips had moved over and pressed against his. This was no longer a memory, this was his own imagination. She held him tightly, he held her back. The Naruto on the bed could practically feel the cherry blossom's presence on him, shifting so that he could lie on his back and let that feeling envelope him. In his head he could hear her breathy voice, whispering sweet things to him. Why was this happening now?

"Hmm... Sakura-chan..." he whispered back to nobody, but for him he was speaking to his goddess, the one delivering him to a world of love. A faint blush touched his cheeks, his mind gone hazy to any realities of how he couldn't be with her, how right now she could be playing out his fantasy with Sasuke. Or... Another important fact.

**_"Tsk Tsk, thinking about your secret cherry lover while with another woman, how unlike you... I always took you for the loyal type." _**Naruto shifted uncomfortably, a scoff appearing on his heated face at the rude and unwanted interruption to his very vivid dream. Though the demon made a good point. Hinata-chan had went after him one day, making her feelings known to . He had been shocked to the extent the Hyuuga girl had idolized him. It was almost in a way he could himself in her...

It was through the amount of wanting to be noticed by that special person. He had told her sorry, oh God was he sorry... He didn't like hurting people who were so decent and sweet. He didn't choose it, but his heart was with Sakura and would always belong to her. He had seen the heartbreak, the admiration for him clouded by sadness. He had not given her the reason why he rejected her. Just a vague idea of why he couldn't be with her. 'My head is still in that special place and I still can't get it out.'

In growth and maybe he had rubbed off some of his charm, but she didn't give up. Still watching him shyly, attempting a few times at approach. That sadness, that hope... That what had reminded him so much of himself was there in her. It took some time for him to agree to try this out. When he had seen Sakura everywhere with Sasuke, seen how close he held her and how happy she looked...

_'Why should I tie her down... Maybe, maybe I need someone who recognizes me... Hinata-chan, you're giving me what I always wanted from her. You're so sweet, you deserve a chance...'_

They had spent time together and it was much different from the company he usually had. She was polite, sensible, but quiet. Even at seventeen, Naruto was loud, even if matured up to quite some extent. His manners were worked on, but he still went way out of line. She never commented on it, merely blushing and giving him a small smile. He could tell, she aimed to please, keeping thoughts to herself and not joining in on too much fun. Not that she wasn't enjoyable to be around! Just with Sakura, they shared the same view. The thought of ditching Kakashi with her, then with Hinata... Well, different stories right there.

Hinata was a good companion though, with a good ear for any of his rants. But there was something lacking, something he wondered if she felt too. But he couldn't place a name to it...

**_"Heh, you human mortals and your non-understanding ways. You wonder why you feel nothing for the Hinata girl? Because she's easy that's why..." _**Naruto felt his anger spark, sitting up in his bed as he glared out infront of him with his blue eyes concentrated. What did Kyuubi just say? Naruto curled a fist and brought it down on the mattress roughly in retaliation.

'WHAT! Hinata-chan isn't easy, she's not that kinda girl! You have it all wrong and you better take it back, she's nice and sweet and--' The Kyuubi interrupted Naruto's rant train with a small growl. As a demon he lacked patients with such inferior minds. He was amazed at how reactive his vessel was in terms of emotions. He was right--The boy was feircly loyal. That comment must have threatened his friendship and respect for the Hyuuga.

_**"You misunderstand, as usual, boy. I don't even know why I bother, but I suppose in choosing a mate you'd need any help you could get. Hinata is 'easy' in the sense she'd let you do what you want. She was yours with no effort on your part. She idolizes you, respects you. This is good to some extent, but the fact she's letting you get away with things that your other woman wouldn't... Well, it goes to show which one is the more feirce and playful. Hinata makes for a good companion, but Sakura is the one you crave for. She wouldn't give in, she makes you work harder and be a better you to grab her attention and earn her respect. She's playful with you, thinks the same way and provides you with some fun. Admit it--You're in love and very attracted to the pink haired kunoichi.'** _

Naruto looked outside before walking over to the open window and looking at the silent night. He was without a shirt, just with loose shorts on such a hot night. Working so hard had changed him, once scrawny arms and legs toned with muscles. He was a runner and his training and ninja lifestyle made him lean and agile. Tall and not overdone with only a four pack on his flat stomache to show for how buff and strong he could really be. One could easily tell that he had physically matured even if they couldn't see how he did mentally.

He would admit it. Hands down Sakura was the one he wanted. Hinata-chan was someone he wanted to be friends with, someone that had respected him and believed in him. With a smile, he thought of all the people he had gained respect from over the years. Even Sasuke, who was probably the person he wanted to prove his worth to the most. Naruto never had a brother before... The way he had competed, strived and worked to match and surpass the youngest and now only Uchiha was a brotherly bond...

Sasuke was family. He had gained Sasuke's recognition and respect which had been no easy feat. 'Hmm, Kyuubi... You think I don't know what you're saying? Even if all that is true... Sakura does not return my feelings. She deserves someone like Sasuke. He is strong, with a steady head on his shoulders... He will achieve a high status and his goal to revive his clan will be complete soon.' His knuckles turned white on the window sill, taking in a deep and calming breath. That was where Sakura fit in didn't she?

'And me... I'm going to become Hokage, damnit. What do I have to complain about?' With a smirk and a small chuckle, Naruto made his way back to the bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, with the festival and all. As a Jounin he was merely to greet the other allies (Gaara would be there, that was great!), accompany them for awhile and check them out secretly to make sure nothing was out of place... Then be off enjoying his day. From there he gennin and chuunin would have patrol duty.

**_"Don't think you can shrug this off so easy... You can't let go of her and knowing you, this will all be a complicated mess." _**Kyuubi's words drifted around Naruto's head right before he fell asleep. His mind was immediately assaulted with the presence of a feisty pink haired kunoichi and he continued his little dream in peace until morning's call...

-------------

AN/

EDIT: This is an edited verision and I hope there is an improvement from last time. Thank you McGrady for the helpful tips! English truely is a weakness for me, because I am still just learning it and then I have to learn French (it's mandatory in Canada) and perfect my own two languages. But I do try.

I place a disclaimer on my story and all it's chapters. Naruto does not belong to me, nor am I making money of off this fan-made story.  
Thank you to everyone else who reviewed. Your comments made me smile and has motivated me to make the next chapter.


	2. Chapter One: Festival Greetings

**Chapter 1: Festive Greetings**

The morning had come too soon for Naruto. Not only was it filled with mayhem over not knowing what to wear and making so many mistakes but thanks to a message delivered a little too late, he was to arrive there an hour earlier than expected! How he wished he could crawl right back into bed and close his eyes... This was no important, dangerous mission! How did this help him be a better Jounin and promote him further towards being hokage? Sure... Tsunade explained something about politics, allies, village health and being a good Samaritan to Konoha... Yet she explained it in such a foolish way with her sake breath and slurs, the only thing that stuck with him really was Garra, fun, Sasuke and Sakura...

His blue eyes widened slightly and a broad smile came to his lips. Sasuke and Sakura right? He hadn't seen them for awhile since they've been quite busy lately. Imagine seeing his friends dressed up and having fun together. It would feel just like it did when they were thirteen except now... Now his feelings had grown, bonds challenged and tightened to an unbelievable hold. Both Sasuke and Sakura were in a new and better light for him. The hardships were over and now this was special... He fumbled with the kimono Kakashi bought for him. Really he could have bought one for himself--maybe one that was more simpler and had less knots to tie! But Kakashi-sensei insisted because according to him, Naruto had no sense of 'style'.

He managed to tie the navy blue coil to fasten around his waist. The tawny orange cloth hung loosely against him, open sleeves reaching past his knuckles. The collar was a bit wide as it showed throat, collar bone and peeked down in a V-shape towards his chest. The patterns were small swirls of indigo and green that were on the top and on his baggy pants. He lifted his arms and looked down, checking himself over. A hand reached for his nightstand, opening the drawer and placing on the necklace given to him by the Fifth. There, he was all set.

Some realization dawned on his half-hazard mind while he stepped out the door and begun his way towards the gates. Hinata-chan! He was supposed to pick her up! Naruto cursed and back-tracked. He didn't mean to forget. Heck, he forgot breakfast and to comb his hair, he had forgotten that he was allowed to bring a date for this festival. This morning just wasn't his kind of morning... Already up and early in the day he could see young girls in extravagant festival kimonos. This put him in a better mood. The civilians and ninja alike were so happy and in high spirits. It motivated him to be the same. He looked on the bright side. He'd see Gaara today and all his friends, he'd get to spend a festival with Hinata and he was going to look nice doing so.

He landed swiftly in front of the Hyuuga community. He took a step inside past the small arch and into the area of houses. With a few moments of guess work (Gosh, he didn't even know where she lived...) he opted for calling out her name loudly. That would grab her attention and she would come out of one of the houses, right?

"Naruto-kun... I'm over here..." A soft voice called out from behind him and Naruto turned around. The shy voice was definitely from Hinata and it was coming from the slightly larger house. When the sound of wooden sandals moving down steps and meeting with ground came did Naruto turn around and face his 'date'. He was pleasantly surprised at the change he saw on her and could not stop from grinning widely...

"Hinata-chan! You look absolutely beautiful!" That was no lie. Hinata came out in a green kimono with the entire dress a picture of white, orange and blue feathered cranes and golden tree designs around them. A soft, yellow obi surrounded her mid-section and a fan was poking out from the fold. Her usual shoulder length hair was pinned back with decorative clips that glinted brightly against her deep purple hair. With a small giggle, she moved beside him and placed her hands in her long sleeves. He watched her pale eyes look over him, blushing.

"Y-you look very handsome yourself, Naruto-kun." She took in a deep breathe, her eyes sparkled merrily as he placed his arm in hers. Spending time with her hadn't dimmed her timidness in any way, but at least she wasn't fainting. Naruto wanted Hinata to be comfortable around him, sometimes joking to her to 'loosen up'. It still felt like she was walking on eggshells whenever he was around.

Naruto gave a small blush of his own while he grinned, unable to wipe the smile from his face. "Hm, thanks!" He walked her out of the Hyuuga estate and headed towards the Gates, arm in arm to await the opening ceremony. They would welcome the incoming allies with a pretty celebration and then get on with the festival. He watched people gathering and saw many of his friends that he hadn't seen in awhile. Everyone in the rookie nine had become Jounin or Special Jounin. A few even joined the ANBU from what he's heard. Things this time around were busy...

He waved to people he knew, also seeing Shikamaru waiting around and shifting uncomfortably. Anxious to meet someone? Naruto bet that he was waiting for Temari to show up. She'd be coming with Sunagakure so that was why he was dateless for a short while. He wasn't the only one dateless since some weren't lucky enough to score while the others were more concerned about other things than this festival. He felt Hinata move within his hold as if tugging lightly so his attention was drawn to her. She was looking away towards an area.

"There is Kiba-kun with Akamaru! Shino is with him too... I haven't seen my teammates in a long time." Naruto blinked for a moment. She sounded so happy to see them. He's never heard her speak like this around him. With a glance between her and her teammates, he gave a small chuckle and let her go.

"Hinata-chan... You and me, we can see each other often since we are both not busy on the same days..." He thought about it for a moment. "Well mostly anyways. With all the trouble going on I'm sure you want to spend some time with them ne?"

Hinata looked about ready to protests. "B-But I came with you--" Naruto interrupted her. "-Hey it's alright. I might see my teammates too and we can spend some time after the opening ceremony together right?" She nodded. "Good. Go say hi and stand in front so we can have a good view. I'm going to find my... Three teammates."

Naruto watched her walk towards the other two and large dog. Would Akamaru ever stop growing?

He gave another small chuckle to himself, turning around and starting to look. He said three purposefully. Sai was still apart of the team even if unofficially. He would enjoy the socially inept boy's company too, should Sasuke and Sakura be too into each other for him to be around. Somehow he couldn't see Sasuke going googily eyed or romantic with Sakura. Or... Anybody for that matter.

A scent of lily and jasmine moved around him and his nose appreciatively took it in. Naruto was surprised when two hands covered his eyes and warm breath tickled his earlobe, the warmth of the person behind him pressing against his back. Whoever it was was obviously standing on their tip-toes. "Boo." She whispered to him and Naruto felt his heart flutter within his chest.

"Hey Sakura-chan..."

--------------------------------------------------

Sakura had been looking forward to the festival for a small time now, thinking it as a wonderful way to see people and to enjoy herself. She didn't work out at on the feild as much as most nin. Oh no, she spent every day at the hospital beside Shizune-sama and even sometimes the Gondaime-shishou. She was still Tsunade's apprentice even after all this time and would continue for as long as she could. No matter what, she'd always see Tsunade as her sensei just as she did with Kakashi-sensei.

Her career as a medic was going magnificently. She worked hard to earn the title of a valuable medic nin and was called out with ANBU and Jounins who were on A rank and higher missions. She was very useful was what everyone soon found out. Tsunade had set her up with Kurenai to train further in Genjutsu. The result had shocked many when they saw her true talent for the art of illusion. It was her defense as was setting high rank traps to go along with it. Offensive she had the obvious--Her inhumane strength. With agility and her quick mind that helped in strategy she aided her comrades well.

This was all great and important to her but... Working at the hospital for medical training, genjutsu training, chakra control and muscle training, with a few other training sessions that had been added here or there, ending off with her regular missions as a Jounin. It got frustrating and she was supremely busy. She hadn't seen Naruto properly for months now. It had always been a 'Hi' 'Bye' senario and those times were when she was with Sasuke; whom was also extremly busy with his work.

Since Sasuke had been back, he needed to do many things in order to clear his name as a missing-nin. For two years he's been struggling to get the title of Konoha's ninja again and be allowed to do something, anything. They had placed him under heavy surveillance, forcing him to do community work and they had messed around with the cursed seal to make sure that he wasn't some weird medium for the dead Orochimaru. Through the whole thing Sakura had tried to support him even if he did seem distant sometimes. Really the only reason why Sakura thought he was so open with her was because now the weight Itachi has had on him was suddenly lifted. The emotional scars were still there, the pain never really went away... Yet now, maybe Sasuke could breathe easier and start his life again.

Which was why Sakura was still 'with' Sasuke. She brushed her hair and took a few strands of the bangs framing her face, pulling up the rest of her hair into a small and spiked pony tail. Using her curler and special hair products given to her by Ino, those few stands turned into wavy and sleek curls. She took two small clips that had white oleander ornaments and placed them on the side of her head. White and baby blue ribbons streamed down the pony tail and down to her neck.

Painting her lips a pale pink and adding some glitter near her eyes she quickly stood up and went over towards the door. Sasuke was always punctual right down to that exact minute he should be there. She looked herself over to see how she was. A silk kimono with white morning flowers flattered her figure. She was tall for a girl and the length of the kimono as it flowed down around her shapely legs complimented that fact. The white softened her, making her seem like a gentle beauty instead of the fighting temptress she was.

She heard a knock on the door and smiled to herself. "Coming!" she slipped on the gekkei sandles often worn by prestress and slid open the sturdy sliding door. The sight nearly took her breath away. In a dark blue kimono with shadow crane designs and a crimson braid around his waist, Uchiha Sasuke was looking as fine and as handsome as the dark haired man could be. His onyx eyes trailed over her and the weight of his gaze felt a little strange but she was delighted to see a small smile.

"You look... Pretty..." Beside the door was a sea foam green amagasa, the small festival umbrella woman would hold. She took it and gave him a sparkling smile back. "Thank you! You look great yourself Sasuke-kun!" He stepped back so she could lock her door and then offered his arm. She took it in her own and the walked together silently. Sakura wasn't with Sasuke long enough for it to bother her much but... If she was promised to him, shouldn't they be more closer?

'I just promised I'd help him... Help him revive his clan. There was nothing said about actual intimacy or love... Can I make him love me? I once thought that, maybe that's why I agreed but...' Her train of thought was cut off by Sasuke beside her, causing her to look up towards him. "Naruto is there..." he observed and Sakura followed his gaze.

She could see him clearly with his orange kimono and his back facing them. Naruto's blonde hair had grown a little longer and thicker in mass. It was wild as always but somehow it made him look older, more mature. She liked his hair actually and it looked so untamed without his headband. She let go of Sasuke's arm, telling his with her expression only that she would go greet him. He gave a small nod in return as usual not saying much about anything.

She snuck up behind him, watching him tense lightly as he sniffed out her lotion and perfume. He was about a head taller than she was, so she had to stand on her toes to reach up and place her hands over his eyes. Her silly greeting was said and she could hear the smile and happiness in his voice as he said her name. Before she wouldn't act this friendly towards him but after everything they went through she couldn't help but be nice. They had come a long way since the Academy and there was no way she was going back! Naruto was one of her special people!

She squealed lightly and her jade eyes widened. Naruto had taken her hands off and with speed she couldn't match herself, he had slipped his arms around her waist and lifted her up in the air. Soon he was gently spinning her around and laughing. "Naruto!" she scolded as she squealed, got off guard by her own teammate. After a bit of that he placed her down steadily to the floor and let her stand to regain balance. She laughed merrily and looked up at his face. "Naruto, you still remain the most unpredictable ninja!" His hands stayed where they were as his blue orbs looked her over, hardly taking in the comment with how star struck he was.

"Gosh Sakura... You look..." He fished around for words, that heated gaze that was taking her in made her blush. Even if she was more comfortable and open with Naruto she was still the same Sakura. Her hand went to his shoulder and she gave him a sly look.

"Like what? You better not make the same mistake Sai did, or I might just kill you..."

He blinked and shook his head, realizing where his hands were and quickly stepped back to look at her fully. His arms fell to his side and he gave her another one over. "Sakura-chan looks amazing!" Sakura swelled with pride and twiddled her fingers in a small modesty while her face betrayed an 'I know' look. "I swear all the girls today look so pretty! I almost can't stop looking at them!" Pfffft... It deflated. She pressed her lips together tightly in a pout. Not just her that looked extraordinarily amazing? Did he really think that for all the girls and she nothing special?

Conveniently on Naruto's part (Sakura was fisting her palm and pulling up her sleeve), Sasuke came over and greeted Naruto. "Hey Dobe, I see you actually attempted not to look like an idiot today." The Uchiha smirked and Naruto looked to him with a sly grin of his own.

"Yeah, same goes for you Teme! I see you decided not to look like you've had something shoved up your ass today too!" Naruto challenged back as the too stood facing each other. Naruto was about an inch taller than Sasuke, somehow. Maybe this was Karma making up for the fact he was always being called short when he was younger... Sakura smacked her forehead with her hand and peered at the two.

"Hey! Let's not use that kind of talk okay, the opening of the festival is about to begin and you guys are scaring the kids!" They both looked at her with some annoyance, though Naruto was more respectful in his gaze and after looking at some wide eyed children... He knew she was right. "Hai, Sakura-chan!" Sasuke said nothing but looked ahead to the gates. He decided to move over to Sakura, placing his arm at her waist and pulling her towards him like he had something to prove. Or maybe he just thought it was appropriate since they were 'dates'.

Naruto looked towards the two and the blalant closeness they shared together. There was a small pang again and suddenly Naruto was wishing for her warmth once again. He wasn't jealous... No way. He took in a deep breathe and smiled, looking over to his own date who was off happy enjoying her team, listening intently to something Kiba was saying. The drums started to play and Tsunade-sama came in view in the front of the gates. Their allies were arriving and finally things could begin.

---------------------

Author's Notes:

I realize this is a slow chapter with just a few explanations and everything but don't worry! More is coming ahead. Next chapter you see Gaara, the Sand siblings, Kyuubi and some things heating up. Please Read and Review! I need feedback so tell me what you think so far.

--Thank you to all who have reviewed so far. Your comments are appreciated and I'm glad you took the time to leave some.


	3. Panic! At the Festival 'Part One'

**Panic! At the festival... Part One**

**An Introduction to the War Era**

The opening ceremony was one of the most loudest and most surprising Naruto has ever seen. Then again to be fair, this had been his first opening ceremony to anything. The crowd cheered as they welcomed their fellow allies into their village. Some people from the sides threw streamers and a banner fell from the top reading "WELCOME!" in huge lettering. Was this how everyone started their festivals? Naruto thought not but maybe since a Kazekage was present there was more... What was the word? Pizazz and sparkle to it. Speaking of the Kazekage, Gaara's figure could be made out from the Suna group and Naruto made sure he was noticed. With his trademark foxy grin and his loud voice he called out over the noises of the crowd.

"Hey! Garra! Garra over here!" The Kazekage's indifferent eyes moved over to the loud blonde looking at him for a moment. They had not seen each other in a while but he had remembered what the boy had last said. It was after retrieving his gourd did Naruto say something that highly amused him, yet stuck there in his head regardless

_'Oi Gaara! I got this back for you, I know you can be a better Kazekage with it.' That day in Suna Naruto had come with Jiraiya. Naruto was on the brink of sixteen fresh from dealing with Sasuke and the Akatsuki. The effects were seen on his youthful face. He was tired, worn, and had sustained quite a few injuries. The emotion trauma and mental fatigue was enough to send anyone collapsing for a good while. Not Naruto. With that same grin he handed Gaara his Sand Gourd, bloody knuckles and all and said to him, "When I become Hokage we will see much more of each other. Don't try giving me hints on how to rule a nation now, I do plan on making it a goal to be one of the best -kages's around. But until then, loosen up. I know you can be happy and..." His blue eyes trailed towards the tattoo by Gaara's forehead. The grin came to more genuine friendliness and empathy than his goofy one. "Eh, I'll be leaving you now. Bye Gaara! Until next time!"_

Garra's expression remained the same for a moment, before the corners of his mouth lifted slightly and he nodded his head towards his other 'demon buddy'. It was not a particularly strong gesture, but coming from Gaara that made the young blonde jump up and laugh. Sure.. He could be mature all right, but that would come later. Why frown when it was the time to smile? Besides, the less they could see of his true feelings right now, the better.

After all, somber and brooding Naruto did not fit into people's minds as him being 'himself'. This was what they expected to see and enthusiastically he gave it to them. Gaara went up to the Hokage and paid his greetings and thanks, speaking for all of Sunagakure before he moved over through the crowds. Naturaly, they all moved out of his way since he was the 'Kazekage' and was regarded with respect. The auburn brunette walked over towards Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. In the background you could hear Suna girls and even a few Konoha ones swooning. Elite ninjas with calm attitudes were so hot... Just the way he walked, with that serene face and soft green eyes, made the girls swoon.

Sakura noticed the approaching Gaara thanks to Naruto's attitude and his calls. She smiled and walked over beside Naruto to greet him. She hadn't seen the Kazekage since the Deidara incident so it was nice to see him again. His popularity must have increased now that he was older and more handsome... If Sakura wasn't Sakura (if that even made sense) she would be swooning too. "Looking good Gaara! Or--Kazekage-sama... It's been awhile since you've visited Konohagakure, isn't it?" She started, only glancing towards Sasuke who was looking at Gaara and not really speaking much. That was right, him and Gaara haven't met after what happened all those years ago. But he did know that Gaara was Kazekage of course! He was probably judging how the new Gaara was.

Gaara gave Sakura a small nod, "Yes... Please, you may call me Gaara. After what Naruto you and did for me... Well, you understand." Naruto gave a small chuckle and Sakura bowed as her reply. Naruto waved Sasuke over and watched him scowl lightly, barely noticeable except to those who've had to see it so many times like he had. Almost cautiously the Uchiha came over and looked to Gaara fully for the first time. Immediately there was a small feeling of coldness. Sasuke did not trust Gaara or care much about him anyways. Gaara heard about the missing nin and how he had been with Orochimaru so he regarded him with some interest. "Sasuke... I see you've come back home. Nice to see everything resolved among the three of you..."

Sasuke looked to Sakura and Naruto before he returned with a smirk. "You bet. It's true, things are finally better between us hmm?" Sakura and Naruto both smiled widely at the exact same time when he said that, casting each other both glances. Their promise between each other, their goals... Everything was complete. From now on things could go only up. Right?

Gaara looked out towards the ongoing ceremony for a moment before motioning for Naruto to follow. Of course, when Naruto went Sasuke was a step in behind and Sakura on Sasuke's left. They were lead more into the streets of Konoha where there were many markets and booths. The whole of Konoha had been decorated with pink and red lanterns. The trees were in bloom and the sun was shining, what a beautiful place their village had become. Gaara turned around once they stopped and Sakura could now see that Gaara had his gourd back. 'When did that happen?' she thought to herself but decided not to pay it too much thought as Gaara had now started to speak.

"Naruto... I wanted to ask you something..." Gaara started, folding his hands over and casting a glance at the two standing beside Naruto. Sakura raised an eyebrow and looked over to Naruto, then Gaara, with a curious expression. Sasuke stayed silent, matching Gaara's glance with his own steely gaze. The blonde in question blinked before giving a nod. "Shoot, what's it you want to ask me?" Gaara paused, his eyes moving over slowly towards Naruto as he thought how to word it without the others knowing.

"There have been some things lately... Do you feel any different?" The three looked pretty confused, Naruto with the most wonder on his face. Different? Seeing how he didn't get it, Gaara tried again. "Yourself, have you been feeling... Odd? Has he been talking to you more often during the night?" Sasuke and Sakura looked to Naruto, who suddenly had such a thoughtful look on his face. Sasuke placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder and she just shrugged as if saying 'I dunno...'. Which she didn't, of course.

"Its... Happened. Why? I thought you no longer had a demon so--" Gaara cut him off, which was a but surprising since Gaara wasn't one to speak much. "There are things happening within the demon communities outside our borders. I just wanted to check. Goodbye." With a small bow of his head he walked off, leaving Naruto to get pounded by a curious Sakura.

"What was that about? Different, how do you mean different? You mentioned demons, so this must be about Kyuubi then, is it?" Sakura grabbed the front of his kimono and shook him. "Stop.Keeping.Things.From.Me!" she said in between each shake. Sasuke had turned around and started walking while that happened. So silent that even the two Jounins didn't know he was starting to leave. To their credit, they were pretty occupied with their own little thing.

"S-Sakura! Hold on! Stop shaking!" At his request she stopped, giving him the eye. "Yeah... Some things are a little different for some reason but it's nothing for you to worry about, honest!" He gave a nervous grin. Some of the nature of that stuff was not something to be shared with her. Not when she had the power to kill him with her bare hands... If she tried. Naruto was no easy person to beat.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sure I shouldn't. Sasuke do you have something to say to this ba--Sasuke?" She looked around. Sasuke left... "Now look, my date has left me because of you." Naruto placed his arm around Sakura's shoulders and laughed down at her. "Sure... Blame it on me. Since that is the case, I remember we still have a date to complete..." She tilted her head up looked up at him from her position. 'Is he talking about two years ago, when I agreed to go with him to Ichiraku as a date?' She smirked.

"Fine, only if you win me lots of teddy bears." Naruto had a shocked expression which turned into a slightly depressed one. He knew he forgot something this morning... To be able to win her teddy bears, he needed money. He was a Jounin... He'd punk it off some young genin like Jiraiya had done to him. Suddenly he could just barely understand his perverted sensei. Always doing something just to get the girl.

"Uhuh... Yeah... We'll do that!" he said with another nervous laugh and lead her off towards the booths. Along the way he searched for an unfortunate gennin with bulging pockets.

It happened often where Sasuke would space out. Every since he started receiving his 'punishments' it became easier to separate himself from other people and reside in himself. He had been that way all his life but at least before he held some desire to be with other people. Now everything seemed like one big restraint upon him. He hadn't told anyone what his real penalty was for leaving Konoha, nor did he want to indulge them in the information just yet... He moved past the markets and held his gaze to the floor.

'Demons... I knew it, something didn't feel right today.' His head lifted towards endless blue skies and he closed his eyes, trying to see what was off without really using his eyes. All he would see anyways was oblivious and cheerful people running around merrily. Nothing but the feeling of foreboding enveloped around him while his mind cleared out and focused on any details. As much as a pain it was, serving Orochimaru and all... He did get many things in return for allowing himself to be used by such a snake. Even if he was no ANBU he did hear things along the way. This was no ordinary festival. It seemed that the Hokage was trying to keep things under wraps and make everything seem like it was all okay.

'Hmph... In a war with demons and human enemies so you decide to cover it up with a festival? Tsunade, are you really running out of ideas..." His hand went to his cursed seal itching at it lightly. Those damn bastards... The things they would mess around with. Sasuke had killed for less and yet those ANBU acted like they could do whatever the hell they wanted. Such thoughts running through his mind during a nice time like this. He opened his eyes once more to see a perfect post card world in front of him. His dull orbs trailed over the people to check just how many of the allies Tsuande had sent over for the meeting. When he had gone through another interrogation rally he had overheard it. While Konoha was out dancing big men with big guns were getting together to talk of the upcoming problems today.

He saw Temari and Shikamau together talking intensely, faces to close as they spoke that you would imagine what they were about ready to do. Really they were just talking but it still felt fun to goad them on within his mind. Temari was the top kunoichi of Suna, Shikamaru was a valuable strategist with more experience on the fields then most. Of course they were apart of the inner circle to this steadily growing organization.

He passed by his 'replacement' Sai. The two cast each other glances before the young aspiring artist made his trademark fake smile. He was with Yamanako Ino, Sakura's best friend. Did Sasuke feel bad for leaving his wife to be? She seemed pretty happy in Naruto's company anyways. His only real problem was that there could be the chance she'd start to enjoy Naruto much more. That brought a faint scowl to his face. He could find another woman even if it would be a little difficult. None of his previous fangirls had stayed his loyal fangirls after what he did... Not many were willing to tie themselves down to a traitor.

Sakura was a strong female. Out of all the women he wanted to pass on his genetics with she was the one on top. He held more feelings for her then any other female he came across, even if those feelings were platonic on some areas... To have Naruto take that away unnerved him just a bit. He faced east towards the Uchiha manor. He needed to do some thinking. If a war was to break out, he knew that Sakura would be sent away with Naruto. If they truly were desperate they would send him aswell to do solo missions. But wars tended to go on for a long time... The chances of death would escalate and what conditions would Konoha be for Uchiha heirs?

Gaara watched Sasuke from his place up in a tree shaking his head a bit. He could tell by the way he held himself that Sasuke had figured some important things out. No wonder the ANBU were keeping an eye out on him. 'The Sound rebels are one of our enemies... The ANBU must be keeping watch over him constantly. I wonder... How will all this affect Naruto now that--' His musings were cut short by a loud female voice.

"Kazekage-sama!" Temari waved from her spot down below the tree, holding a bored looking Shikamaru by the arm as she did. Gaara glanced back towards Sasuke, who was now gone. He swiftly jumped down and didn't even make a sound as he landed, giving Temari what might be called an annoyed look. He was not one to show emotion much so his tone was kept calm.

"I know Temari... We'll be heading to the tower in a moment." He watched her huff and and tap her foot, obviously there was something she wanted to say but since he was the oh so great Kazekage (who, did we mention was her younger brother?) she held her peace. Instead she gave a small nod and put on a smile. "Right. We shouldn't keep our hosts waiting now..." Shikamaru's gaze was drawn to the Uchiha place, still closed off and yet Sasuke continued to take residence there.

"I realize you don't want me getting mixed up with Sasuke, Temari... Don't worry about it." He walked ahead, starting in his direction towards the tower and swiftly moving past the forming crowds. Naturally, Temari and Shikamaru followed. The female Jounin brushed her elbow in a nudge, catching Shikamaru's attention while she gave him a wink.

"You look so thoughtful... Just relax until we get to the Tower. You tend to look so unreasonable 24/7." She got a chuckle back as they moved along the pretty streets. Soon to be met up by Sai and Ino who seemed to have a one-sided argument about some comment Sai made. _"When I ask you if you were looking at that girl, have some consideration and lie to me!"_ This caught a lot of attention but otherwise they were good to go.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The closer Sakura got to the booths the more frantically Naruto looked around. What an idiot he was! Here Sakura was, expecting him to show her a good time because her Teme of a date left off to who knows where and he didn't even have the money to give her anything? Despite his reputation, Naruto was a very bright young man. He could sometimes do things that you wouldn't even dream of doing yourself. He didn't become Jounin for nothingand it wasn't like he acted like this a lot... It just wasn't his weak. He felt a headache come on suddenly, shaking his head then scanning around some more.

His blue eyes locked onto a young boy--a young genin that looked distracted by some girl. Perfect. When a girl occupied a boys thoughts, even a meteorite couldn't cast them out of that spell. 'Been there, done that.' He thought to himself with a chuckle. He gave a light nudge to Sakura's arm. "Hey... Listen, you go find a booth while I quickly just do something for a second. Can you do that for me?" He asked, eyes pleading even though his expression showed calm. Sakura smirked and lifted a finger, waggling it in front of his eyes.

"Will you leave me too? I know you have Hinata, if you want to go to her don't lie to me, damnit! Just tell me..." She skinned her teeth at the thought of him having to lie to her just to go off with Hinata. He didn't have to, she didn't have him on a chain or anything. This was his idea in the first place! If there was one thing she would never want to do was come in between Naruto and his happiness. He did a lot for her already and she wouldn't want to be a bother... 'I just don't want our friendship screwed up in any way. That I'm holding onto and no one can rip me away!'

Naruto gulped and shook his head. "Of course not Sakura-chan! I wouldn't leave you! Hinata-chan is with her team now, we will be seeing each other later tonight. It's more romantic at night, isn't it?" he asked with a blush dusting his cheeks. He took in a deep breath then turned his head to the star gazed head. "So can you please just wait one moment and then you and me will have some fun, Mm'kay?"

Sakura's smirk faded into a small smile. A small, beautiful smile. "You and I, Naruto. Learn some grammar." she teased him, placing her hands in her sleeves "Now go on ahead and I will wait for you over there." She waved a hand towards a booth and Naruto gave a look of acknowledgment. She turned and walked towards that direction. Immediately when young, single (some not so single) civilian men saw she was all without a man beside her... They gave the the appreciative 'one over and then some' that they wouldn't do if she was with a partner.

Naruto walked past the young gennin who was staring at a young little lady. Like the rest, she was pretty... Though unlike the other girls, she didn't seem to like the fact that she was getting attention and that she had to dress up. Either way, those pocket full of yen were his. The kid would understand later the importance of treating your girl. Silently Naruto reached into the back pocket, movement so quick and so silent that he was unnoticeable in his pursuit. The yen came out and into Naruto's pocket. He started to walk away. He had left none, because he had two pretty girls to treat tonight. That guy seemed to be a little unlucky with his anyways.

"Hey Sota! That guy just reach to your butt a moment ago! Sensei! Sensei! I told you there were perverts around!" Naruto stood stalk still. What the--? Genin were able to see what he did? Was he getting that bad! About to poof away, he stopped his actions when he heard a familiar voice.

"Aki, that's not a gay pervert we are talking about. Though he might be if we are talking about the same guy who trained under Jiraiya..." Naruto broke into a grin and turned to see the white-eyed, Hyuuga Neji standing there with three kids surrounding him. The tomboyish girl, the girl crazy boy he just punked and a loudmouthed, paranoid snitch by the name of Aki it seemed. Naruto snapped his finger through the air and laughed.

"Neji! Wow, you became a teacher?" Naruto snorted as a cross image between Gai and Neji popped up in his head. Neji gave a small chuckle himself before agreeing. It seemed everyone wanted to kinda follow in their teachers footsteps and become teachers themselves. Neji had been a Jounin for a while now but it was quite a surprise to see him already a teacher. Naruto always figured being apart of the ANBU was a goal for him. But perhaps Neji didn't like those masks... The wouldn't suit him anyways.

"Hn, everyone does eventually." The corner of his mouth twitched into a knowing smirk, "You will be too, oh great future Hokage..." Neji taunted and walked up to Naruto, slapping his back in good nature. Naruto stuck his tongue out at Neji and gave his fox like grin.

"That's Mr. Great Future Hokage to you!" Naruto taunted right back and the two exchanged friendly expressions. Neji then quickly dove the hand into the fold of the coil around Naruto's waist and took out his student's yen which had startled Naruto. "H-hey! Don't go putting your hands around me in places, it will give people the wrong idea!"

The tomboy student scoffed, "You already gave us the wrong idea, sir." she pointed out blalantly.

Neji counted the yen quickly then passed it back to Sota who took it happily. The young boy didn't seem upset, just glad he could have money to win girls over back. "Naruto, I'm guessing you must really need the money for something special, or we are going to have to question your integrity." His eyebrows came down low as he gave Naruto a look of darkness, even if his eyes were pale. "I know you are going out with my cousin..." Naruto gulped audibly. Oh yeah... He forgot they were related. "I have no real problem with that. Here," Neji took out a wad of yen and passed it to Naruto. "take this and show Hinata a good time."

Relief escaped him through a steady sigh. Wow, he thought for sure Neji was going to kill him for being with his cousin. So... He wasn't going to try his luck by telling him about Sakura, they were just hanging out but... 'Not risking Neji getting the wrong idea...' "Thanks a bunch Neji!" Naruto moved away, catching a glimpse of Tenten. Woah... She wasn't wearing her two buns anymore. Her hair was laced back in one in an older, mature fashion and she looked great. She greeted Neji with her own team, soon following with the elusive Rock Lee. Ah... Everyone seemed to be reuniting.

Naruto leaped and hurried towards Sakura. He didn't want to keep her waiting now! 'Sakura...' A smile came to him as he thought about his pink haired goddess. 'For now, only for now you can be mine.' That thought made him go faster as he met her at her favorite booths. A game where she could wack stuff all she wanted without him having to be on the receiving end--that was his type of game.

-----------------------------

AN:

Sorry this took awhile, the weekend was busy and weekdays are even busier. That, and most of my work was deleted. That's why I'm cutting this into a three part for now. Then you'll get long chapters. So, there seems to be a war going on hmm? What do I have planned with that, you'll see! Thank you so much for all the reviews, you all make me smile!


	4. Panic! At the Festival Part Two

**Yasha Yokujo **

Panic! At the Festival 'Part Two'

The door was closed and the room was silent. The jounins stood around the table at attention while the Council Members sat waiting for their Hokage to give the first word. In contrast to the outside world, this place was filled with unsettling tension. Where the festival went on with much joy, here was only grim news of reality. The council room was playing host to many guests, all of Konoha's allies gathered round to discuss the current situation. It didn't take a genius to see that this was a very serious matter they were dealing with.

"It seems the situation can no longer be ignored. This is unlike any of the attacks we had ever had from our neighboring demons." Tsunade sighed before drawing her gaze to one man standing up front. This issue, among many others, was starting to wear Tsunade down. It was noticeable because she distinctly aged within her genjutsu to look around late thirties. "General Haruki, please tell us what you encountered up North."

General Haruki could be described as a haggard ninja who could have been handsome if only he wouldn't keep his face in such a distasteful expression. There were ninjas who were trained to lead wars or partake in them, but each ninja did act as a soldier on a daily basis for their village. The General just had experience in working around different areas, with a keen mind for combat strategies and use of long ranged weapons over jutsus.

"You're right, Gondaime-sama, this is unlike anything we've dealt with before. Our lives with the demons were always rough because of their brutal nature but generally we were divided and left alone. They'd stay in their respective territories and we in ours." He paused to clear his throat after he stated what was already known. Here comes the real news they were all waiting to hear.

"Yet they've been starting to attack repeatedly, in greater numbers. Whereas before only the strongest of demons would dare come out and attack; now even the lesser demons are starting to band together and cause havoc." He placed two fingers to the bridge of his nose and gave it a little pinch. Who knows what he's seen so far. "Their attacks are animalistic, rash, bloodthirsty and downright cruel. They act like beasts and their thirst for human death is like a plague. In all our years we have been in conflict with demons… We have never seen them act this way before."

There was a brief silence, before the buzz of the council erupted. They murmured comments back and forth in hushed and rapid tones. Tsunade chose this time to glance over to the Kazekage who was looking ahead with an unreadable expression. He may have no longer _possessed _a demon, but he was eternally linked to its soul. They acted independently and moved about freely but their lives were shared together as one. It was one lifeline between two beings.

"Hmm, Gaara-sama, you alright?" she asked him and he responded with only a small nod. Temari was a little further behind him standing beside her brother Kankuro. Her eyes were set upon the silent Kazekage and she bit her lip. How was he feeling? How did it feel to know that something that was out there on a killing spree was connected to him and out of his control? 'Very conflicting… No wonder he's trying to get as involved in this situation as he could… Oh Gaara…'

"Demons, that's what we are dealing with?" Ino whispered over to Shikamaru. As members of Niju Shotai and a part of Team 10, they had been working together constantly along with their partner Choji. Unfortunately, they would not be working with him for these matters. Those who had not been called forth today were not involved in the 'First Action'. What did Tsunade-sama mean by this? None of them really knew.

"Yes… It's been in the air for some time now. I guess…" Shikamaru suppressed a yawn as he spoke, trying not to be rude in such a formal setting. "This has been coming for a long time. Who knew it would be so soon?" Shikamaru fingered the charka blades at his side, which his blonde teammate caught. Yes, one wonders what Asuma would say in a situation like this.

Sai listened in on the conversation, noticing his companion's reaction to those blades. He knew from talk around the shinobi that those blades were a symbol of their fallen sensei. What it must be like, to grieve over such a thing. His former 'master' was put out of his thoughts the moment he was killed by his own hands. Such a dangerous man was not allowed in Konoha, and anyone who plotted against the Hokage was seen as a traitor and was dealt with immediately. Due to his 'change of heart', Sai did not receive such a fate.

'Maybe, it will take some time… Perhaps I could care about someone too. With this war, I don't think dying empty is what most would like. Perhaps I will feel cold, like many say emptiness feels like…' His gaze trailed over Ino's features. She cared also, much about Shikamaru. Not the same fondness as that other vicious blonde felt, but more of trust and friendship. He wanted that. Was that what he could achieve, with his own teammate? 'Pity, she's not in this First Action plan. Are we being divided?'

The jonins from the other villages talked amongst each other as well. The escalation of noise they made as the leaders discussed this news had to be brought to an end. The Hokage received a nod from the Kazekage, and the other village representatives stopped to look over to the Hokage in silence.

"Enough, please!" Tsunade's voice cut sharp and in a second the order had been carried out. "General Haruki, what casualties were there in the villages?" The man could only answer that the entire villages were wiped out and the only survivors are in critical state. "Then that only proves how important it is for us allies to band together. It is not only Konoha that is in danger but any village, anywhere." She paused to lick her dry lips, taking a second to bite down on her lower one. Just watching all their faces was stress enough. Though it seemed that everyone agreed with what she said.

"Gondaime-sama… If I may say something in regards to Konoha?" A young woman spoke up and all eyes turned to her. She was fairly new to the council, been in a seat of power for only a year. It was a surprise to hear her speak up in such an important topic without being spoken to first.

"You may speak, Matsuka." Tsunade nodded towards the much younger woman and patiently waited for her to speak. She watched Matsuka fiddle around for words for a second before serious eyes rose to address everyone.

"There has been strange behavior amongst the youkai population, is that right General Haruki?" Why was she asking this? The look in her eyes troubled Tsunade slightly. There was a hint of hate amongst those irises.

"Why yes, in all that we have encountered so far…" The General stood at attention while Matsuka trained those eyes on him. The corner of her mouth twitched with some distaste at his answer.

"Gondaime-sama, as many of us here know there is a demon amongst our village, Konoha." The now jounin, who consisted of most of the rookie nine were mildly shocked to hear this. Since when was there a demon in Konoha? Temari knew who she was talking about and scowled, Kankuro joining her in the action aswell.

Before Tsunade had the chance to open her mouth and possibly say something rash, the woman continued. "Then is it not true that this demon-bearing person would be considered a threat to us? Shouldn't we do something about him before he gets out of control like his demonic kin?" The way her voice raised, and just her words in general had people murmuring once again. This time they were a little more vocal, and that same cold look passed through many of the council members.

"It's true! If the lesser demons are attacking in such frenzy, imagine what it would be to have one of the greatest demons known attacking us like that?" A man spoke up and most nodded. Gaara sat without saying a word, merely fixing his sea foam eyes to the wood grain in front of him. That hate… It was so familiar. He thought that, since he had become Kazakage, he would never again have to see it brimming in their eyes. It was there, and they hated one of the most valued and special shinobi there was only for what he contained. He could not hate them back; only pity them for how blind their hate made them.

"We should lock him up!" One exclaimed and the others soon joined.

"Yes, keep him away from our civilians where they will be safe."

"Heaven's knows that they shouldn't have to go through anything like the Kyuubi attack again..."

"I said ENOUGH." Tsunade bellowed, tightly intertwining her fingers and glaring at them. "Please, I realize you are all concerned for the safety of this village..." Not likely, perhaps without the company of their allies she might have worded that a little differently. They quieted down at this and she continued. "Yet this is not the time to be discussing such things, as important to you as it may be. We are here to discuss the problem as a whole, and some of the things we can do to prevent any serious attacks on our nations."

"The reason I called you jounin in with us is so that you were aware of what was going on. Also to let you know that this is no ordinary situation…" She looked towards the leaders of each of the villages who were allied to them and watched them give her a small nod. "I believe that we can all agree that this will most likely turn into a war situation…"

'War?' The word was on everyone's mind. This was not what they were expecting and there was definitely a degree of shock. Was this demon situation that bad? So bad a problem, that there was a foreseen war? Tenten stood beside her two teammates, looking over to each of them with thought. What would happen to the gennin they were to take care of? Was the first time they were meeting in a long time going to be for something as dark as war? 'I never thought this could happen… Do we even know much about these demons anyways?'

Her question was not voiced aloud, but still answered. Tsunade's eyes traveled across their figures before she resumed speaking. "We are sending squads out in the North to gather more information on youkai and what we can do against them. So far, the people who know most about the demons are the religious communities just on the outskirts of the mountains. Learn from them what they have to offer. Those people had been fighting against demons since before many of our ancestors had even heard of them."

They'd be leaving for Konoha so soon? Lee had just gotten back from his mission Iwagakure, all the way up west. He had been struggling with many to get the situation back on track with them and now he knew why. Konohagakure simply could not afford any ill blood at this moment. They needed to be able to communicate openly with Iwagakure should they also get involved with the demon situation.

"There are lands unmarked by us and left as a 'No mans land', this is where most of the demons lie and are generally not disturbed. As allies, jounins from each village will come together to research these lands also."

"Tsunade-sama, what's the need for such large numbers to scout one area?" One person asked from the back, unrecognizable to most of the teams there. So many people… Were they really going to work with all these shinobi?

Tsuande grinned at the person, peering above intertwined fingers. "You don't think that these demons have all retreated? You will need each others skills in fighting against a demon should you come in contact. The odds are that you will. Also, with your varied fighting styles you could figure out what works and what doesn't work against some types of demons and add that to your research. Information here is valuable."

Gaara took this time to address his own group of sand-nins who were present. "I know some of you had already come in contact with a demon. The Red Sand had certain… Vermin problems that I'm sure you remember well. Share that information with your squads once you get assigned. We are all together acting as one, remember that. Don't hold out on anyone, we act as if we are all kin. Understood?" His voice had some of the female jounins swooning. It was so elite, so demanding, so smooth…

"What I wouldn't give to be sharing a tent with Gaara-sama!" One Suna female whispered to her friend, who giggled at the pleasant thought. Oh, the irony. To be the most hated to the most loved in the village…

"You are dismissed for the time being, report back later after the festival and you will receive your assignments. For those of you who are within a squad with gennin, I suggest you find some time to tell them you will be leaving for a long period of time." Tsunade concluded the talk with the Jounins and despite whatever they thought of her orders, they were forced to leave and stay silent.

Temari and Kankuro stayed of course, Temari looking off to a Shikamaru that seemed all too happy to leave. 'That git… He's just happy he doesn't have to listen to people fight… The tension in this place was enough to suffocate someone…' She thought to herself while watching as a certain blonde woman joined him with a small frown. Well… As far as she knew Ino Yamanaka had a date herself, why was she so clingy to Shikamaru for?

Ugh, now was not the time to be thinking of this! She forced her gaze over to the remaining people, which were all village representatives and the council members for Konoha. What was left to discuss? Plenty was left, that was for sure. Temari was certain that now that the main point had been put aside more political things would come in play at this meeting. Meaning there would be a LOT of debating. With a deep inhale and an exchange of glances, she and Kankuro prepared for the long day ahead of them…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man… That was sure a shocker." Shikamaru looked up to the cloud-less sky above, a frown set on his face. He, Ino and Sai walked together through the streets of Konoha. What a change since they'd been in there! There was music with drums and the noise was nearly deafening. Children were chasing each other down the streets. Twice, Shikamaru had to avoid being knocked over by youngsters. "And look at all this; no one here even knows what's going on…"

"That's a good thing! The last thing we need is people panicking, even I'm kind of nervous myself." Ino replied. She looked over to her date Sai and gave him a small grin. She quickly looped her arm in his and leaned against the very nice looking male. Sai may not be great at emotions but he sure knew how to clean up! 'He even smells good too!' Ino noted happily. "But everything will be fine, won't it Sai?"

"I'm not really sure if it will be fine." At least he was honest. "Now, if you don't mind… I don't like my space being 'hogged' up like that." He put on a fake smile and pulled away. Then, like a child he patted her on the head. "I'll be leaving now. I think this concludes me being your escort, yes?" He watched her open her mouth, gaping like a fish, but merely turned around and paid her no mind. "Goodbye Ino-chan."

Silence… Ino was standing there with wide eyes and her mouth still hanging open. Shikamaru tilted his head and watched Sai walking away until his figure was completely obscured by the crowds. He was gone, just like that. "Did your date just leave you…?" Shikamaru asked. At first his face was just bored, until he smirked at the thought of a 'social butterfly' like Ino being left by her handsome date. "How did you get him to agree to date you anyway?" This comment nearly had him plummeted.

"Oh shut up!" Ino briskly started to walk towards Ichiraku Ramen. She picked up her pace with every step she took. Being dropped like that was unacceptable! She'd show that no good Sai what he was dealing with! Yeah!

Inside Ichiraku Ramen was a familiar person. Chouji sat and ate his ramen happily in the company of a sweet, young girl. It had become a normal scene, the two of them. Ayame would be talking to Chouji about anything and the pleasingly plump young man would smile back and offer her a few words too. They were really enjoying each others company.

"Ayame-chan, you look very pretty in your kimono. You really should be outside having fun instead of working." Chouji sat to her after he finished his meal. He himself was wearing a traditional yukata which was red with a green Akimichi symbol at the back. A katana lay by his side and he has white silk pants over nice, polished black boots. His long hair was pulled into a pig bushy brown tail which resembled Jiraiya's style. Naturally, Chouji's hair was much shorter than that of the legendary sannin's.

"I know, but there are so many costumers and we want to make the most out of this festival. I can't leave my father to work by alone today." Just then Ino and Shikamaru came in and joined Chouji. It was nice for teammates to get together like this and they knew it. Ino and Shikamaru wanted to spend as much time with Chouji now before they were called away.

While that was going on, Sai was in search for his own teammates. He had seen Sasuke before and it was on his mind… Why was he not with his future bride? That was what he had started to call Sakura; Sasuke's future bride. It drove her crazy and he secretly took some pleasure in getting her riled up.

Perhaps he should feel guilty that he had left Ino like that, but he truly and honestly didn't. When he saw her, he noted how pretty the blonde girl was and decided there was no harm in escorting her to the Tower. If he had a date with him, his teammates wouldn't ask why he was going over there on a festival like this and leave him be. That was his logic. She really shouldn't have looked so surprised, after all that's all Ino asked for didn't she?

'Oh well, doesn't matter too much what she thinks, I'm fine either way.' He walked down the streets searching for a sign of his teammates. Sai wanted to see if they knew anything about the new situation and play with their minds a bit… Or maybe he genuinely liked hanging out with them but wouldn't admit it openly. Either way, he was going to have some fun…

How hard was it to spot a sign of pink or blonde? It wasn't very hard at all to spot, especially when the pink haired one seemed to be smashing stuff and making a lot of noise. As for the blonde Uzumaki, what was he doing during all this? Smartly backing up away from the lethal woman with a hammer, that's what.

"Hyah!! Take this!" Whack a mole. This game was invented for Sakura. It was a mini stage at where she received a rather large weapon and there were holes everywhere around her. From within the little center she could smash the moles that came up and dared poke their heads out. This way, she'd exert any anger or frustration she'd feel on little plastic moles instead of her companion, Naruto. Sai gave it to him that that was a pretty smart move to make.

Sai tilted his head and watched the two closely. Of all the people he wished to understand, those two were on the top of the list. Sakura seemed so angry all the time, so why when it came to Naruto she'd hold back? Yet at the same time she gets irritated with him more than anyone else. He had concluded that all females were strange and bizarre, and once Yamato had explained to him that every male thought that. A small smirk that he'd been working on for awhile now crept to his face. Hag was the most appropriate name for Sakura, because she was the biggest witch in all of Konoha.

His gaze then trailed over to Naruto, who looked cautious yet at the same time… Amidst the awed crowd the pink haired kunoichi had gathered, his expression was out of place. The way he watched the fiery Sakura was in a way he had never seen before. He read once in a book, that a similar expression was out of overwhelming desire and love for a significant person. Naruto's expression was not the same, yet in a way was. Was he thinking about her? Perhaps more holding back that love and desire instead of embracing it?

The last smash had signaled a sudden melody of beeps and sounds then overhead the stage flashing numbers came on. 125, high score was what it read. Sakura was handed a very large teddy bear about half her size as she handed the hammer back to the booth keeper. Naruto snapped out of whatever thoughts he was thinking and quickly ran up the stage.

"Here, Sakura-chan! Let me hold that for you!" He said enthusiastically, spreading his arms out towards the bear. He did not expect to suddenly get a face full of it as Sakura more than willingly gave the prize for him to hold.

"Ah, that felt good Naruto! I didn't realize how much pent up energy I had until I played that game. You're really being sweet doing this for me." Sakura said, paying no mind to Naruto's muffled replies as he walked backwards slowly… She even didn't notice as he fell off the stage and gave a loud grunt through the ten pounds of fluff. Instead she was looking off over to the streets with a hand on her hip.

It was then Sai chose to approach. He made his presence known by walking towards them while clapping and a fake grin in place on his face. This made her green eyes lock onto him and she replied with her own genuine smile. Sakura had built up a tolerance for Sai as she came to understand him more and more over the years. He had assisted them in the return of Sasuke and she was grateful for that.

That smile made Sai remember that day when Sakura gave him such a smile. There were only few times when he was truly surprised and that was one of them. On the day Orochimaru had finally been defeated, they were all bloody and bruised. The moment Sakura saw that Orochimaru was dead and Sasuke with Naruto, she had smiled and pulled Sai into a hug and laughed happily before finally passing out from her injuries. Sai had taken her back to Konoha, wondering what had happened for a long time.

Did that mean she was his close friend? When one shares such a moment in their lives, it draws you closer to that person you shared it with, correct? "So, you've resorted to hurting animals? My, my, Sakura… Whoever knew you were that much of a witch." There was a lot pf shuffling heard as Naruto pulled himself out from underneath the teddy bear. He didn't look happy to see him… 'A rather bewitching one I'd say, after what you've done to the Kyuubi boy.'

"Gah! What are you doing here! How is it you manage to interrupt every date I've been on with Sakura huh?!" Naruto exclaimed. His words and anger didn't seem so tough considering he was holding the paw of a very cute teddy bear in one of his hands like a little boy. In fact, it made Sai smirk once again.

"If memory serves, this is your first date with Sakura? I remember you complaining that you could never start one with her." Sai took amusement at how Naruto blushed. Sakura on the otherhand merely raised her eyebrow and then shook her head chuckling. It was so typically Naruto.

"Ahem, Sai.. Don't you have your own date?" Sakura asked before she paused to blow a few strands of pink from her face. "Ino was talking about it a lot to me, about how she scored a date with you…"

"I could ask you the same question. Where's Sasuke? I told you that ignoramus was not all there in the head…" He got s pair of eyes glaring at him almost identically but he still pressed on. "After all, he did say he wanted to fuck with you to have little Uchihas running around Konoha in the future. Or is that all he needs you for and doesn't bother with petty things like dates?"

With quick reflexes Naruto grabbed Sai's collar and brought him up to eye level. "Do you WANT me to kill you? Don't you dare talk about Sakura or Sasuke like that! Especially not in front of me..." Sai's reaction was as expected. He simply did not respond to such a threat. Soon he was placed down on the floor and he quickly threw a glance over to Sakura. She looked upset, but no where near as angry as Naruto was.

"Hmm… I must have said something that really bothered you. You don't like the thought of Sakura's future?" Before either male could continue, the female the topic was about spoke up.

"Hey guys, let's just stop this okay?" Sakura looked over to Naruto and put her hand on her stomach. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting kind of hungry."

Naruto smiled and pumped a fist to the air, "Okay! Then Sakura-chan will be taken to a really good restaurant!" Thank Kami for Neji and his loaded pockets… Who knew the guy would give him so much that he could treat both girls to the finest? 'What in the world does he do to make so much money anyways? And since when does he care for Hinata so much? It must be a cousin thing…' His attention was caught as Sai shifted a bit and he was reminded of his presence. Immediately the excited look deflated. "Does he have to come too?"

Sai waved dismissively. "Don't worry, I can pay for myself. Now, where is this restaurant you want to go to?" Sai moved up beside Sakura, who put her hands in her long sleeves and started to walk.

"I was thinking that nice little corner restaurant… What's the name again? I remember it's called Peach something… Oh nevermind, at least I know where it is…" Sakura and Sai started talking about the restaurant and food, leaving poor Naruto in the dust without really meaning too.

"Hey guys… Sakura! Wait up! You can't leave me!" He dragged the teddy bear as he tried to keep up with them, putting his strength to the test. It took a street or two before he was finally beside them and actually at the restaurant.

Too bad Yum Peach Central didn't allow such big toys in their restaurant… It seemed Naruto would have to wait before getting his food, or getting his uniterrupted date for that matter...

Author's Notes:

Ayah! I might put this all into one, nice chapter as it should have been. I've been taking some English classes to improve my writing. Is it showing? I would like you to all honestly critic this. I am trying to grow as an author so I have started spending more time on chapters. If you want them a little longer, you have to also wait longer. Hopefully this satisfies you for now! The next chapter, the conclusion of the festival is probably my favourite part! So you have that to look forward too. Things did get heated within the council room, and it only gets worse for Naruto as things go on.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I hope I can continue to write good chapters that you will enjoy. PS. I'm no Sasuke hater. Please don't get that impression; we all just know what Sai is like.


End file.
